Rail-joint.



C. H. ROBINS.

RAIL 101m.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-26' 1913.

Patented May 11, 1915.

UV VEN TOR.

WNW/E5555 ATTORNEYS.

CRLE$ BINS, GE WATE'LO,

i' CONSIN.

RAIL-JUNE.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May til, rare.

Application filed September 26, 1913. serial 0. 791,912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES R. Ronms, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Watertown, in the county of Jefierson and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of

which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, which are a part of this specification.

The invention relates to improvements in rail joints, and particularly the means for connecting the meeting ends of rails to prevent independent lateral movement of such rails, and also to prevent the objectionable hammering and jolting which occur when a car wheel passes over a rail joint, particularly when the rail sections at the joint have become separated to some extent by reason of contraction.

The invention has particular reference to certain improvements upon the construction covered by Letters Patent of the United States, issued to me on July 25th, 1905, No. 795,733, for improvements in rail joints. In the device of said Letters Patent No. 7 95,7 33, the tread of each rail section is shown as provided at its end with a recess having an inclined Wall and a projection having an inclined wall, with the inclined wall of the projection of each rail section running to a sharp edge. In practice, this construction has been found objectionable owing to the fact that the sharp edge referred to weakens the metal at that point to such an extent as to result very frequently in breakage of the metal, particularly when the rail sections become slightly separated by reason of the contraction of the metal.

It is, therefore, the object of my present invention to provide a construction of such character that the sharp edge referred to is entirely eliminated, whereby the disadvantage pointed out' is avoided, and with this object in View, the invention consists of the device and parts, or the equivalents thereof, as hereinafter more fully pointed out.

- The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation, showing the meeting ends of the rail sections fitted close together; Fig. 2 is a similar View with the rail sections slightly separated, as will occur under contraction of the. metal; Fig. 3 is a plan view, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the rail sections.

Each'rail section, as usual, is formed with a tread portion 5, a flanged base portion 6, and a connecting web portion 7 The tread 5 extends beyond the vertical wall of the Web to form a projection 8, which projection is about one-half the width of the tread.

Adjacent to the projection, the tread is cut away to form a recess 9 having a vertical side wall 10. In the construction illustrated by Patent No. 795,733, the end face of the projection 8, and the rear wall of the recess 9, are inclined throughout their length, the

its length on the wall of the recess of the adjacent rail. This particular construction, as hereinbefore stated, isopen to objection, in view of the fact that it forms at the upper edge of the inclination of the projection of each rail section a sharp edge which is liable to become broken by the heavy impact and weight of the car wheel, particularly when the rail sections become separated by reason of contraction. The present improvements consist in terminating the inclination 11 of the end face of the projection of each rail section just short of the upper end edge of said projection, and then continuing the face of the projection at an angle to said inclination to provide a shoulder, preferably in the form of a straight shoulder 12.- By forming the upper end of the end face of the projection with this shoulder 12, it, of course, becomes necessary to terminate the inclination 13 of the recess just short of the upper end of said inclination to form a matching shoulder 14. The rail sections at the joint are connected as ordinarily by the usual form of fish plate 15.

It will be seen from the above construction, that when the rail sections are assembled, the inclined face of the projection of one rail section will fit against the inclined wall of the recess of the adjacent rail section, and the upright shoulder 11 of the projection will bear firmly against the corresponding shoulder 13 of the rear wall of the recess. The shoulders of the projection, there fore, eliminate the sharp edge which is present in the construction of Patent No. 795,7 33, and thereby avoid danger of breakage of the projection.

In a joint of the construction herein shown and described, it will be seen that the face of one projection fittin against the inclined wall of the recess 0 the adjacent rail sec- .tion, with the shoulders of said projection and inclined wall of the recess abutting or in close proximity, will tend tomaintain an which ordinarily occur when two rail sections are slightly separated, is also avoided, inasmuch as the rojections of the rail sections overlap or Eridge over the joint, and consequently the necessity of the car jumping over a broken joint is avoided. Furthermore, in my improved construction, when the rail sections become slightly separated by reason of contraction of the metal, the pressure exerted by thewei ht of the car is carried down the inclined ace of the projections to the center of the webs of the rail sections, so that danger of one rail section sagginguwith respect to the other rail section is gely avoided.

What I-claim is:

A rail having a base, a web, and a t portion, the tread portion being formed at its end with a recess havin its rear wall inclined upwardly except at he upper extre'm ity thereof where it terminates in a vertically-extending shoulder disposed at an angle to the main inclined portion of said wall, and said tread portion also formed at its outer end with a pro'ection havin its end-l wall inclined upwar y except at t e upper extremity thereof where it terminates in a vertically-extending shoulder disposed at an angle to the main inclined portion, the inclination of the wall of the projection being in a reverse direction with respect to the inclined wall of the recess.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES R. ROBINS. Witnesses:

KATHERINE HOLT, GERTRUDE Sononz. 

